The American Idol

I want to take a moment today to talk about a serious subject: Sin. Not the sin of lust, not pride, not covetousness, nor hatred or laziness, but something every bit as serious and prevalent in our lives (mine included).

Idolatry.

Miriam-Webster online defines idolatry as 1 : the worship of a physical object as a god 2 : immoderate attachment or devotion to something. (I think its appropriate to add the idea of inappropriate –reliance- upon something)

Anyone regularly attending a sound Baptist church (and all of you should be) knows Israel’s sordid history with idolatry. They also know how seriously God takes it and that in the end it took 70 years of captivity by a foreign power after countless smaller occupations before Israel finally put her idols away.

This was the first sort of idolatry mentioned above. The golden calf in Exodus and the golden image Nebuchadnezzar set up in Daniel are both examples of worshiping a physical object as a God. The widely accepted reality that God is an amorphous omnipresent spiritual being has largely done away with this practice in western civilization.

Our western worldview might ask: “Why were so many nations attracted to idols? I have no desire to pray to some silver statue I just paid $10 for!” I’ll tell you why. Idolatry allows people room to sin. Do you think that Molek and Baal had the same standard of righteousness that Jehovah does? Look at the temple of Diana in Corinth. Diana was a goddess of sexual pleasure. What happened after Israel made the golden calf? They all “rose up to play.” (not as innocent as it sounds for the record).

The western idolatry that pervades our culture is a more subtle, externally acceptable and internally deceptive form of its eastern and historical cousin. But make no mistake, idolatry is still deceiving Christians, destroying lives, and leading the lost away from Christ’s blood today.

At this point I want to lead you (and myself) in examining our lives to see if we can find any idolatry. Remember that second definition (immoderate attachment\reliance or devotion to something) Its going to be the one we struggle with more so than the first (making an object deity)

When we go to examine our lives looking for idols we need specifically to look for things that are taking Gods place. If we trust in, hope on, wait for, look to anything to do for us what God has said he would do then that is the ugly face of idolatry. Remember Jesus said hate was like murder and lust was like adultery. God is absolutely concerned with our internal thoughts and motives no matter how they’re expressed (or not) in our actions.

Think about each of these individually.

What do you trust in?

Think about every aspect of your life. What do you trust to get you to work safely; your car? To do your work correctly; your intelligence?, To build your house; your effort? To find your spouse; your discernment?, To raise your kids; your commitment?, To lead your church; your knowledge of scripture? FOOLISHNESS! Unless the Lord does all these things we are helpless and hopeless. Solomon said he didn’t know how to go our or come it, he also said: “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it”

What do you hope on?

Consider the following thought patterns: “If I lose 50 lbs then I’ll live longer and I can do more for God.” Vs. “God help me live more healthy for your honor and Glory, extend the life you’ve given that I can serve you with it.” Can’t you almost see a Pharisee\publican difference in the heart of these two desires?

What do you wait for?

I’m guilty of thinking: “If I can just hold out till I get married and have a family then life will be worth living.” Remember Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon –a change in their circumstances- shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint, right? WRONG the verse reads “But they that wait up on the LORD shall...” Having a Family or getting a better job can be idols to comfort us or give us hope if they are allowed to occupy territory in our hearts that should be reserved for God. He alone should be our comforter and hope!


What do you look to to solve your problems?

There is an important distinction between knowing that we are what we are by Gods grace and trusting in our own ability to pull ourselves up by our own boot straps and forge ahead. Often our hearts say “Thanks for offering to help Lord, but I’ve got this one, you can sit it out. I’ll take it from here. I think I’m smart\able\stubborn enough to handle this little problem.”

How often does our heart pray:

O my Education, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. O keep my future, and deliver me from a lack of employment: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.

Or:

Delight thyself also in simple pleasures; and they shall give thee satisfaction, the desire of thine heart. Commit thy way unto sleep and sweet bread and they shall bring it to pass.

Reading these great psalms so foully corrupted is offensive but when we live like this is 1000 fold over offensive to our holy God. Commit yourself today to finding just one idol in your life and Pray that God would help you pull it down and put him in its place.

Here's a great tool to go idol hunting. Ask yourself what you want. What do you REALLY want. you might want money: Why do you want money? To be more secure to feel safer about the economy? If you're trusting in your money to make you more safe and secure in your life then you're worshiping money! Find what you're trying to accomplish with your desires and if its to get something God has promised to give you then its an idol. God can use money to make you more secure but we need to trust in the source of the power(God) and not the tool the power might choose to use (money).

Remember the fastest way to make sure any of you endeavors will fail is just to trust an idol for success. God will give you failure to show you that only he is the living and true God.

Let us who know our savior beat our breasts afresh with the publican and cry out “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

For those of you who aren’t Christians I’m sure if you’re honest with yourself you can see idolatry in your own life. So what of it? Does that necessarily mean you’re a bad person?

Lets look at some of the other commandments and find out how you’re measuring up to Gods standard of rightness. If its just the one you might be ok right?

How about the commandment not to take Gods name if vain. Ever used God name in the place of a filthy 4 letter word?

Or how about lying?

Ever dishonored your parents?

What about coveting, desiring something that wasn’t yours?

As I mentioned above Jesus said Gods standards were so high he saw unjust hate as murder and lust as adultery. Ever done either of those?

What about theft. Ever stolen something?

If we’re honest with ourselves then all of us have busted every one of these commandments wide open. If someone kills they’re a murderer right? Lies they’re a liar, steals they’re a thief, lusts they’re an adulterer.

So if after just a short examination you and I have found we are lying, thieving, blasphemous, murderous, adulterers at heart, as well rank idolaters. Considering this do you think we deserve to go to heaven or hell when we die? If God is a just and holy judge he can’t let us go free and still be called just any more that an earthly judge can let a guy who rapes and kills little kids go free. Imagine the convict says “I’ll never do it again, I made a mistake. I’m so sorry” we’d say: “well you scum bag you should be sorry, but not as sorry as you’re gonna be after we stretch your neck.” How would you feel about a judge who let a guy like that go free. He ought to be hung right next to him!

The fact is that we’ve broken the law and that the only punishment acceptable to God is eternity in the lake of fire. Right?

Ok but what about all this God is merciful and forgiving stuff. Won’t he forgive me? He can’t let your sin go unpunished but there is a way for you to get out of paying it yourself. When God became a man he lived a perfect life and died in our place. If you come to a place where you agree with God about your sin and place every ounce of hope you have on that savior then you can be delivered from the punishment you rightly deserve.

People who say that their God wouldn’t send people to hell are, ironically, IDOLATERS!
They’ve created a God to suit themselves. The God who doesn’t judge sin is a partaker of their sin just like an earthly judge who lets the guilty go. How much more merciful and Glorious is our God who didn’t have to provide himself a sacrifice but chose to out of his abundant goodness?! Think about it, one God is good the other is a wicked monster.

Christians are not perfect they are just forgiven

Repent and be saved.

Jesus is waiting but he wont wait forever.